Mail catching and delivering device.



A. J. HUGHES. MAIL GATHING AND DELIVBRING DEVICE.

- APPLICATION EILBD AUG.29, 1910. 1,003,461 Y Patented Sept. 19, 1911.

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, 1N VENTO WITNESSES:

C i3 z/ A. J. HUGHES.

MAIL GATGHING AND DELLVERING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.29, 1910.

Patented Sept. 19, 1911.

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WITNESSES:

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ALBERT J. HUGHES, 0F ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

MAIL CATCHING AND DELIVERING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1911.

Application led August 29, 1910. Serial No. 579,453.

lines in Fig. 1, so as to take up but little l To all whom 'it mayconce/m:

Be it known that 1, ALBERT J. HUGHES, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota,have invented a new and useful Mail Catching and Delivering Device, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mail-bag catchers of the kind by which a movingmail car catches and delivers inail-bags at stations where the traindoes not stop; and the 0bject is to further improve my mail-bag catchingdevice described in the United States Patent Number 962,571, which wasissued to me on the 28th day of J une, 1910.

1n the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a top or plan view of my devicein its improved form arranged on the ground near a railway track and ona portion of a mail car adjacent thereto on the track, the roof or upperpart of the car being removed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a mail carin the act of passing a station equipped with my invention. Fig. 3 is aleft hand side elevation of the mail supporting post and its table atthe left end of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a partly iinished side elevation ofone of the mail supporting stands on the ground, looking from the car.Fig. 5 is a rear side elevation of the stand shown in Fig. -1 slightlyTmodiiied. Fig. 6 is an enlarged bottom view of the mail bag supportingtable carried by the car and its bag-throwing strap. Fig. 7 .is a topview of the table in Fig. 6 and two mail bags on it. Fig. 8 is a partlysectional enlargement of a top portion of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, and omitting as much aspossible, repetition of the description and claims already contained inmy said previous patent, 1 designates a mail car supposed to be movingalong on rails 2 of a railroad in either direction, but indicated by anarrow A as moving from right to left. Fixed on the car near one or bothof its door openings 3 is a support 4C, on the top of which is mountedto swing horizontally an arm 5 near whose free end is pivotallysupported at 6 to oscillate in horizontal plane, a table, 7 adapted tosupport the mail-bag or bags that are to be delivered from the car. Thetable is so mounted that it may not only be swung out into the dooropening and into the car, but it may also when in the latter position betilted edge up as shown in dotted iioor space when not in use. It mayalso for said purpose be folded at a joint 8, which is provided near itsmiddle, and which when the table is unfolded is held stiff by a thumbbutton 9 pivoted at 10 to one leaf of the table and engaging' bothleaves when turned i across the line of their adjacent edges. Fig. 1.)

In mounting the table and its arm in the (See manner described, variousmeans may be employed; thus the table may be hinged to the arm to tiltfrom horizontal to vertical position, and the arm may be pivoted to thesupport to swing horizontally, or as in the present embodiment of theinvention, a headed post 11 may be journaled in the top of the support,and in said head may be journaled a horizontal extension 12 of the arm 5which is thereby allowed to turn when the table is to be tilted. Thetilting is however prevented, as long as the table is in workingposition, by a linger or guide 13, which is fixed on the support l andengages the upper flat side of the arm while the support e engages thelower fiat side of said arm. Only when the arm is swung into the car isit released from said finger and may turn in the post 11.

rlhe table is at its under side provided with a lug 141 (see Fig. 2)which when the table is in central position in the door opening rests inthe shallow notch 15 in a lateral projection 5X of the supporting arm.On each side of said notch is a deeper notch 16;

and the table is so loosely pivoted to the arm that a fair rotatorystrain on it will cause the lug 14E toleave the notch 15 and move intoeither one of the notches 16, thereby allowing the table to yield bothlaterally and downward at its projected edge the moment a mail-bag isleaving it in being delivered from the car.

The normally outer or projected edge of the table is preferably formedwith a V- shaped notch 17, near the bottom of which is pivoted at 18,preferably below the table, a spring clasp 19, which is adapted to holdan open sided springy ring 2O in the position shown in Fig. 1; said ringbeing secured to the outer end of a strap 21, which is taken one or moretimes about mail-pouch 22 (see Fig. 7 and the latter is placed on thetable 7, where it remains until the ring 20 is engaged and removed fromits clasp, which removal is eifected by catcher arms 23 that are mountedone on each of two stands 24, which are iiXed near the track. On each ofsaid stands is hinged at 25 a table 26, which table to the rightin Figs.1 and 2 of the drawing is shown as tilted up edgewise out of the waywhen idle; the tilting is done automatically by a weight 27, which isadjustable on an arm 28 of the table, said weight tilting up the tableas soon as the latter is idle and not held horizontal by the weight ofmail-bags. Each of said tables is provided with a notch 17a and near thebase thereof a clasp 19a, pivoted at 18a, about the same as the table inthe car.

Upon each table 26 is pivoted at 29 and adjustably held by a thumb screw30, a combined guide and shield 31, whose top portion covers the mailbag 22X on the table against snow and rain, while the vertical portion31X, standing more or less obliquely tothe car, tends to direct themail-bag 22X from the table into the car. To eect the last mentionedmovement of the mail-bag,

the latter is placed on the table 26 with a,

strap 32 about it, and one end of said strap is provided with a ring 33,which is placed in the clasp 19a (see Figs. 1 and 3 and 8) in positionto be engaged by either one of the two catcher arms 34 carried by thecar. Each catcher arm 34 is pivoted at 35 to one of the door posts orcasings and is normally held idle in upright position by a link 36 andhand lever 37, the latter being also pivoted near the door opening andheld in upright position by a catch 38, as best shown to the right andin dotted lines to theleft in Fig. 2. But to the left is also shown infull lines how the arm 34 when in action, or ready for action is held inan almost horizontal outwardly slanting position, supported in a notch39 of a small iron bracket 40 secured on the car.

In Fig. 4 it will be seen that the catching hooks 23 are each mounted 0nthe post or stand 24 in such a manner that when catching the ring of thebag strap and pulling the bag from the car the hook yields slightlyin'its bearing and after the strain is over it assumes automatically ahanging position and is thus out of the way for possible projections ofpassing trains until it is set again for action.

In further explaining the operation and some details connectedtherewith, it will be stated that in the present illustrations saidyielding feature is provided for by making the catcher arm 23hook-shaped and with a round shank 23a, which is journaled in the standor in lugs 24a thereon (as in Fig. 5). In either case the stand has anotch 24b'into which the base of the arm 23 may pass and thus supportthe arm in horizontal position as shown in dotted line in Fig. 3.

The shank 23a has an oscillatory and sliding movement and is retained bya collar 23C.

having between it and the stand a rubber cushion 23d, which takes theblow against the stand when the hook or arm pulls the mail bag or bagsfrom the car; said pulling brings the hook out of the notch 24b and itfalls of its own weight to the downward hanging position shown in Figs.4 and 5 and in full line in Fig. 3.

`By looking at Figs. 1, 6 and 7 it will be seen that the strap 21 isfixed to the table 7 both at 7 a and by being taken about a hub 7b onthe table, and is made in two strands until it unites and has the ring20 secured to its end; said ring being open at 20a is simply engaged'bythe arm 23 sutliciently to throw the mail bags from the car, whereuponthe ring is sprung open enough to slip from the arm 23, so that thestrap 21 always follows the car and is ready to be placed upon the table7, in the manner shown in Fig. 7 with mail bags in the bight 21a and thering 20 in the clasp 19 ready for action. The other strap 32 is easilyremovable from one mail bag to another. Its ring 33 when placed as inFigs. 1, 3, and 8 is readily caught by the catcher arm 34 of the movingtrain, and, as already above indicated, the motion of the train and theoblique position of the guide 31X cause the bag or bags to lodge upon oreven beyond the table 7 in the car.

The notches 17 in the table on the car and 17ZL in the table on eachstand are to permit the clasps 19 and 19ZL to swing some on their pivotswhen struck by the catcher arms, without pinching against the edges ofthe tables the rings held in the clasps.

It is, of course, understood that each station will have two reverselyarranged stands 24 with the mechanism stated mounted thereon, so thatthe train by employing either one of its catcher arms 34 may deliver andpick up mail while movingl in either direction on the track, and wherethe road has double tracks both tracks and both sides of the car may beequipped with my device. The mail bags delivered from the car may dropon the ground, or be caught by the device shown in my former patent, orby any other suitable device for the purpose.

What I claim is:

1. A mail-bag catching and delivering device comprising in combination astan fixed on the ground near the track on which a mail car moves, atable hingedly mounted on the stand for holding mail-bags in readinessfor-the car to catch them, a car on the track and means on the car forcatching the mailbags and means whereby the table when relieved of themail-bags is automatically swung on its hinges to a position thatincreases the clearing between the table and the trains passing it.

2. A mail-bag catching and delivering device comprising in combination astand fixed on the ground near the track on which a mail car moves, acatcher arm mounted on the stand and adapted to effect the removal ofmail-bags from a passing car, means on said car for holding inail-bagsready to be caught, said catcher arm adapted to be set in catchingposition for service, and having automatic means for throwing it out ofthe set position to idle position by and after each catching action.

3. A mail-catching and delivering device comprising in combination asupporting taf ble for mail bags to be delivered to a moving car,catching means carried by the car, a guide on the table for directingthe mailbags into the door of the moving cars; said. guide beingadjustable to a more or less oblique position to the side of the car.

et. A mail-bag catching and delivering device comprising in combination,a mail car, a support fixed within the car near the door thereof, ahorizontally swinging arm pivotally mounted on the support, a tablecarried by the said arm and adapted to hold mail bags to be deliveredfrom the car, a strap engaging the mail bags placed on the table, andmeans on the ground arranged to engage the strap and thereby pull themail bags from the table.

5. A mail bag catching and delivering device comprising in combination,a mail car, a support in the car near the door thereof, a horizontallyswinging arm pivotally mounted on the support, a table carried by thesaid arm and adapted to support mail bags to be delivered from the car,a strap engaging the mailbags on the table, and means fixed on theground for engaging the strap and thereby pulling the mail bags from thetable; said table being pivoted near its center upon the arm, tooscillate in a horizontal plane when the strap pulls on the mail-bags.

6. A mail bag-catching and delivering device comprising in combination,a mail Car, a support in the car near the door thereof, an arm pivotedupon the support to swing horizontally, a table pivoted near its centerupon the arm, to oscillate thereon in a horizontal plane, a straparranged to engage inail-bags placed on the table, and means fixed onthe ground for engaging the strap and thereby pulling the bags from thetable; said table having a slight forwardly tilting movement to furtherfacilitate the escape of the bags the moment the strap pulls on them andthereby tilts the table.

7. A mail-bag catching and delivering device comprising in combination asupport fixed within the mail car near the door thereof, a horizontallyswinging arm pivotally mounted on the support, a table carried by saidarm and adapted to hold the mail-bags to be delivered from the car; saidtable being mounted to tilt from a horizontal to a vertical plane whenthe arm is swung into the car and means preventing such tilting when thearm holds the table inoperative position and means fixed on the groundfor removing the inail-bags from said table.

8. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a mailcar, a table pivotally mounted near its center in the car to oscillatein a horizontal plane and adapted to hold mail bags to be delivered,means on the ground for engaging the mail bags and pull them from thetable, said oscillation being caused by the removing force applied tothe mail bags.

9. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a mailcar, a support in the car near the door thereof, a table about centrallymounted on the support to oscillate in a horizontal plane and adapted tosupport mail bags to be delivered from the car, means on the groundarranged to pull the mail bags from the table; said table having also aforwardly tilting movement, which as well as the oscillating movementyields to the removing strain' applied to the mailbags.

10. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a car, of atable arranged to be partly projected out of the door of the car and tohold mail-bags; said table being formed of sections hinged together soas to be foldable when not in use and means fixed on the ground forremoving the mailbags from said table.

11. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a mail-carof a catching device involving a catcher arm pivotally supported nearone side of the car door opening, means for supporting said arm incatching position projecting obliquely out from the car, and means forfolding the arm upward out of the way when it is idle, means for holdingthe arm in idle position and means fixed on the ground for holdingmail-bags in position to be caught by said arm.

12. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a mail carand means fixed on the ground for holding mail bags to be caught, of acatching device involving a catcher arm pivotally supported near oneside of the car door opening, means for supporting said arm in catchingposition projecting obliquely out from the car, and means for foldingthe arm upward out of the way whenit is idle and means for holding thearm in idle position; the latter means involving a lever pivoted on thecar and a link connecting said lever with the catcher arm.

13. A mail .bag catching and delivering device comprising incombination, a mail car, means in the door thereof for supportingmail-bags, a strap permanently seouredj with one end to the mail car andhaving at the other end a springy ring open in one side, means carriedby the car for holding said ring yieldingly in position to be caught,

means fixed on the ground near the track over which the car moves, saidmeans on the vground involving a Catcher arm adapted t0 engage 1n saidring and to escape through 10 'the opening 1n its side by forcing theends which the mail bags are delivered, said strap having one endsecured below the taf ble and at its other end an element adapted to beheld in the clasp, and means arranged to engage said element and causethe strap to throw the mail-bags from the table, the strap formingnormally a bight near its middle for the mail-bags to rest in upon thetable, and said element adapted to automatically release itself from themeans engaging and operating it.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature, n presence of two witnesses.

' ALBERT J. HUGHES.

Witnesses:

GEO. LA FOND, A. vW. GUTTERSEN.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

